«
»
Not Quite Metal?

THE HEAVIEST [AND MOST METAL] FUNK I’VE EVER HEARD

 Friday, April 23rd, 2010 at 2:30pm by

TM StevensI went through a big funk phase in college where I’d venture over to the record store every Saturday (Encore in Ann Arbor, MI) and peruse the shelves for the heaviest, dirtiest, funkiest ’70s funk I could find. I still listen to a lot of that music, and it’s one of the genres that [non-]MetalGF and I share as common ground. I mean, how can you not dig this shit?

But none of it was as heavy as what I’m hearing on the MySpace page of ex-Steve Vai / current Headhunters bass player TM Stevens. Shit is just downright dirrrrrrrty! If bands like Extreme, Scatterbrain, early FNM etc were funk metal, then TM Stevens plays metal funk — make sense? This shit is nasty, and I’ve had it in constant rotation for days now — big funky grooves, monster distorted guitar riffs, slap bass, scorching guitar solos (courtesy of Nuno Bettencourt on “Gotta Get My Groove On”) and everything else that makes me wanna smoke a giant fatty J and get my fucking groove on. This isn’t music to make love to… it’s music to FUCK to.

-VN

Thanks: The Gideon

Photo credit: Christophe Lesbats

Tags: , ,
  • Viking_xxx

    Listen to The Meters?

    • bucketochicken

      Everyone certainly should.

      As well as Tower of Power, the Ohio Players, 70′s-era Stevie Wonder, Sly, Maceo, the JBs, EW&F, the Brecker Brothers, Harry Connick Jr, Chick Corea, James Brown (fucking duh), Galactic, Stanton Moore, Parliament (although a lot of this is terrible), Isley Brothers, Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams, Billy Cobham, Freddie Hubbard, early Jamiroquai, Liquid Soul, lists of things, Curtis Mayfield, Jaco Pastorius, Billy Preston, Weather Report, Edgar Winter’s White Trash…

    • HandBanana

      The Meters “Cissy Strut” = pure genius!

  • ferocious_fetus

    Chris Pennie (ex-Dillinger Escape Plan) & TM Stevens going at it:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AsRfzDuiGc

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Gideon-McAdams/1343010120 Gideon McAdams

    the song Radioactive made me shit my pants the first time i heard it.

  • Driven9

    yeessss! Encore Records is the Shit

    • d00shc00gr

      Hell yeah, I got my original pressing of Dimmu Borgir’s “For all Tid” there, among many other seriously rare gems!

  • Dr. Steve Brule

    Listen to Unified Culture! It’s got Jason from Muchroomhead on vocals and one of the best bass players ever (Craig Martini) playing funk. It slays.

    • msv81

      I found one of their CDs (Realize) but can’t find the others (Funkcore, To Know What’s Up…You Have To Be Down), can you hook it up?

      email: krztoffreflex@yahoo.com

  • Dr. Steve Brule

    Listen to Unified Culture! It’s got Jason from Mushroomhead on vocals and one of the best bass players ever (Craig Martini) playing funk. It slays.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Basil-Chiasson/1683420052 Basil Chiasson

    awesome recommendation Vince! This is one of the better Funk Metal Hybids i have heard. TM stevens totally shreds

  • jtquake

    Holy shit this is so much fun!

    Hahah the vocals are awesome, and it’s so laid back but intense and goofy that it works perfectly!

  • fester

    oh fucking christ. Is it that time in the nostalgia cycle when funk metal comes back?

    oh shit, yeah, it is. Thrash metal resurgence + 3 years = funk metal resurgence. damn.

  • Steve O

    That bass solo was just nasty, man. TM Stevens is really a virtuoso bassist, for sure…

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/David-Yu/2207107 David Yu

    That was some great bass playing! I remember Encore Records when I went to the U. of Michigan (my Eagles picked a DE from there in the 1st round)… Got a used copy of Far Beyond Driven there…

  • Alex_P

    The vocals aren’t great, the music decent. Kind of Dream Theater meets RHCP.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Dan-Burton/784250631 Dan Burton

    Metalsucks has just redeemed themselves for the decapitation video. This is what we want on here, recommendations on some damned good fun, meaty, funky metal. Just listening to Schocka Zooloo… its so heavy, but soooooooooo much fun. Its what metal is missing these days.

  • LilalCFH

    I love how they listed BLACK METAL as one of their genres…

    Either a play on words or a complete misinterpretation.

    Good shit though. So funky you could smell it.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Rik-Powell/286400508 Rik Powell

      Heh, I was gonna mention that. I lol’d.

  • Ryan Schutte

    Have you not heard Trombone Shorty’s new cd? it’s called “Backatown”. i HIGHLY recommend “suburbia” and “the cure”. both wail in ways that funk band normally just plain cant.

    and on that note, i should really mention the song “i got cash” by Brooklyn Funk Essentials. the song can only be decribed as DDDIIIIIRRRRRRTTTTTTYYYYYY

  • Marcel

    There is no dirtier bassline than the one from James Brown’s Cold Sweat.

  • Double D

    Damn, you guys fucking deaf? Those vocals are fucking AWFUL.

    • Noel

      i agree. the vocals suck ass.

  • anon

    this is the worst thing ive ever heard

  • Noel

    yea i dont know what you guys are talkin about ,the vocals are awful.

  • Noel

    if you want real funk, that doesnt sound like 90s throwback ratm funkrock, with a rapper in front goin ‘huh, ya’ every 12 seconds, listen to funkadelic ‘hit it and quit it’ great stuff.

    • Alex_P

      DAMN STRAIGHT.

      Any Funkadelic/Parliament, really.

  • Paul

    Fishbone FTW.

    • sYgnal

      +1

      Dude, I was just trying to post a comment on how I’m not hearing how this stuff is any more “Nasty” (or better) then Fishbone “The Reality of my Surroundings” or Infectious Grooves “Sarsippius’ Ark”.

  • Age of DooM

    [img]http://www.motifake.com/image/demotivational-poster/small/0809/black-metal-demotivational-poster-1220544986.jpg[/iimg]

  • derptard

    You guys should hear this band called Toast Machine.

    They only have one album that I know of, it’s pretty sick. No vocals.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Ashley-Rogow/1246980518 Ashley Rogow

    Vince, you went to Michigan? I grew up on campus, Encore records is fucking sick. I’d go visit while you still can, they probably won’t be in business for much longer.